1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to a process for the production of fresh cheese. The present invention further relates to a fresh cheese.
2. Background Information
The art of cheese making has been practiced for a number of years. The need to increase the amount of cheese from a given amount of milk is an economic necessity when the milk supply is limited, but the demand for such product is high. Soy protein has been used as an extender in cheeses with limited success. The patent literature is rich with patents which proclaim the ability to solve the various problems associated with using soy protein in a milk based fresh cheese. To date, none of the patents have described methods or products which have been commercial successes due to either the difficulty in incorporating the soy protein isolate into the finished cheese or because of the quality issues with the finished product.
The present invention provides a process for the production of fresh cheese comprising the following steps (a) mixing milk and isolated soy protein; (b) heating the mixture resulting from (a) to a temperature in the range of from about 70xc2x0 C. to about 100xc2x0 C.; (c) adding food grade acid to the mixture resulting from (b); and (d) separating the whey and the curd in the mixture resulting from (c).
This invention relates to a process for the production of fresh cheese comprising (a) mixing milk and isolated soy protein; (b) heating the mixture resulting from (a) to a temperature in the range of from about 70xc2x0 C. to about 100xc2x0 C.; (c) adding food grade acid to the mixture resulting from (b); and (d) separating the whey and the curd in the mixture resulting from (c).
The milk used in the present invention can be present in amounts of from about 80% to about 100%, and preferable from about 90% to about 99.9%. The milk can comprise of from about 0% to about 5% fat. It can be desirable to use milk with a low fat content and optionally add fat from other sources. As such, the fat contained in the milk can originate from at least one of the compounds of the group comprising milkfat or vegetable oil.
The invention provides the above and below described methods wherein said soy protein is present in amounts of from about 10% to 100% by weight, and preferably from about 15% to about 50%. By xe2x80x9cpercentxe2x80x9d it is meant weight percent based on the calculated amount of casein solids in the milk. The isolated soy protein used in the present invention can be prepared by pH adjusting soy curd prior to spray drying or by blending different isolated soy proteins to obtain the desired pH. The pH of the isolated soy protein(s) can be of from about 3 to about 7, and preferably of from about 4.5 to about 6.5. The isolated soy protein can be less or greater than ambient temperature before addition to the milk. Preferably, the soy protein is at a temperature of about 0xc2x0 C. to about 60xc2x0 C., and even more preferably at a temperature of from about 30xc2x0 C. to about 40xc2x0 C.
After mixing the milk and isolated soy protein and heating this mixture to a temperature in the range of from about 70xc2x0 C. to about 100xc2x0 C., a food grade acid is added to the mixture to coagulate the mixture. In this way, the casein matrix encloses discrete agglomerates of soy protein isolate and provides a cheese with the desired texture and flavor. The food grade acid used in the present invention can be selected from the group comprising organic and non-organic acids used alone or in combination. Preferably the organic and non-organic acids are selected from the group comprising acetic acid, malic acid, citric acid, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid and lactic acid. Other such acids will be apparent to one of skill in the art. The invention provides the process of making the above and below described cheeses wherein said acid is present in amounts of about 0.05% to about 5.0% and preferably from about 0.1% to about 2.5%.
In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method of making a cheese analog by adding at least one compound to a mixture of soy protein and milk, wherein said compound is selected from the group comprising a whitening agent.
Often it is desirable to produce a cheese with a white appearance. As such, the present invention provides for the optional addition of a whitening agent in amounts of from about 0.005% to about 3% and preferably from about 0.01% to about 1.5%. The whitening agent must be chemically inert and harmless to the animal or human who ingests the agent, but, of course, also must make the appearance of the cheese white. The invention provides the herein described methods wherein said whitening agent can be selected from the group comprising titanium dioxide, titanium dioxide blend and titanium dioxide dispersions.
A mixture comprising curds and whey results after step (c), above. The whey can be separated from the remainder of the above and below described mixtures by at least one of the methods selected from the group comprising draining, straining and filtering. Preferably, said separation results in elimination of from about 20% to 99% and preferably from about 30% to about 90% of the whey.
After separating a percentage of the whey from the remainder of the above and below described mixtures, the mixture can optionally be placed in molds. The mixture in the molds can also optionally be pressed to remove more moisture from the cheese analog.
The taste of the cheese analog of the present invention can be enhanced by the addition of flavoring agents to the above and below described mixtures. The flavoring agents can be selected from the group comprising sodium chloride and natural and artificial flavors.